Cannons Cruise in Will Manny's Return, Archers Eke Past Whipsnakes

Sloppy weather led to a sloppy start in Albany, N.Y., during Saturday’s rematch of last year’s Premier Lacrosse League championship game between the Maryland Whipsnakes and the Utah Archers.

Both teams started a combined 2-for-18 shooting until Archers defensive midfielder Beau Pederson’s goal at the 9:25 mark of the second quarter. The rivalry matchup was neck-and-neck throughout, but Archers’ goalie Brett Dobson’s 15 saves made the difference, as Utah eked out a 8-7 win.

Attackman Connor Fields carried the Archers offense for the majority of the game, and his burden was only increased when midfielder Grant Ament exited the contest at the end of the third quarter with a hamstring injury, which has unfortunately plagued his professional career.

Fields led in shots (10) and goals (four). Since he joined the Archers in 2023, Fields has scored at least a hat trick in every game at his alma mater of UAlbany.

“Coming out of high school, [Albany] was the only offer I had,” Fields said. “This whole week here just brings back a lot of good memories. I love playing on that field. I think there’s a great fan group out here, so it’s fun playing in front of those passionate lacrosse fans.”  

Rookie second-round pick Sam King stepped into Ament’s role as a facilitator from the midfield line and was essential to the Archers pulling away. He finished with three assists, including the assist that set up the winner by midfielder Tom Schreiber with four minutes left.

Rob Pannell scored his first goal on the Whipsnakes with 4:56 remaining in the first half after getting his hands free in the slot, but the veteran was neutralized the rest of the game. Matt Brandau, who was traded from Philadelphia in the offseason, leveled the score at 3 after Pannell’s goal.

Fields got the lead back for the Archers with a crease-driving goal during a slow break with 2:38 remaining in the first half. He dodged while both sides were substituting, leaving him one-on-one with defender Ajax Zappitello on the low wing — Fields’ sweet spot. Zappitello got his revenge on the next possession, pushing Fields down to the soaked turf before earning a takeaway check, and Utah went into halftime with a 4-3 lead.

Brandau buried his second goal of the game to tie the matchup at 7 with 4:48 remaining. He baited defensive midfielder Piper Bond into a pick that he didn’t use to score a low-to-low rip past Dobson.

Joe Nardella and the Whipsnakes’ wings dominated the faceoff, winning 79 percent, but it was all for naught, as Maryland failed to score in the condensed 32-second shot clock.

“We like ourselves in the short clock,” Archers head coach Chris Bates said. “I think there’s a heightened sense of urgency and communication, and we know what we want to give up.”

Veteran defenders Graeme Hossack and Warren Jeffrey were their usual dominant selves, but first-round pick Brendan Lavelle particularly stuck out in his PLL debut. The rookie held Matt Rambo to zero points.

CANNONS CRUISE

The Boston Cannons and New York Atlas met in another rivalry matchup that didn’t disappoint. The contest was fast-paced and featured 19 second-half goals, but the Cannons’ five-goal lead after the third quarter was too much for the Atlas to overcome.

Despite a heroic effort from attackman Jeff Teat, who registered four points in the fourth quarter, the Cannons prevailed with a 16-12 victory. Teat notched his 100th career assist off a helper to Xander Dickson during the second quarter.

New York’s defense struggled mightily to contain the sharpshooters littered throughout Boston’s offense. Veteran attackman Will Manny, who played his first professional game in over 600 days, netted a hat trick in his first game as a Cannon since 2017. Midfielder Ryan Drenner continued to add to his under appreciated professional career, leading with four goals on five shots.

Atlas defenseman Gavin Adler was able to keep attackman Asher Nolting from finding the back of the net, but he led the Cannons with three assists. Despite scoring more goals than any team over the weekend, Boston only turned the ball over 10 times, which was the fewest of any team.

The next closest was the Chaos with 12, who played the Atlas on Friday night. New York’s defense has only forced a combined eight turnovers in its first two matchups of the season. The Atlas also missed the early offense that midfielder Dox Aitken provided to the team last year.

While Trevor Baptiste won 19 of 27 of faceoffs, New York struggled to find production during the 32-second shot clock.